Skip to content
  • Vimeo
  • Wishlist
  • Login
  • Basket / £0.00 0

    • No products in the basket.

Monsoon BooksMonsoon Books
  • Shop
  • Browse
    • Country
      • Brunei
      • Burma
      • Cambodia
      • China
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Japan
      • Malaysia
      • Philippines
      • Singapore
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • Genre
      • Fiction
      • Nonfiction
  • Book Bundles
  • FAQ
  • Social
    • Instagram
    • Video Archive
  • Submissions
  • 0

    Basket

    No products in the basket.

“Come eat, mee soup got, fry also can. Want egg “Come eat, mee soup got, fry also can. Want egg forty cents, no egg thirty cents. Bring own egg also can. Come!” The mee tok tok man was a showman. He enticed us with his tok tok invitation. He had a piece of cane bamboo split in half and he beat the two pieces against each other to create the tok tok melody. Just a teaser … coming soon … watch this space … “You Might Want To Marry My Husband” and other recollections from life by Yap Swi Neo.
Posted @withregram • @syllablesofswathi2 Qotd: D Posted @withregram • @syllablesofswathi2 Qotd: Do you read historical fiction? Hi peeps, good morning!! How's your day shaping up? I'm about 70% into my current read #hostage by Clare Mackintosh and absolutely loving it! It's so pacy and leaves me breathless. Imagine a hostage movie and reading it as a book is SO DAMNED GOOOODDD!! 😳😳✈️ On bookish feature today, I'm talking about this wonderful story written by Devika Bai set in Malaysia and it's so atmospheric and pleasant to read!! 😇❤️ If you have been to Malaysia you'll probably know about the scenic beauty of the country 🥺 Oh how much I wish I could be there now!! 🙈🤩 I'm so glad I found this amazing publisher @monsoonbooks who publishes brilliant stories by Asian authors with so much soul and nature! ❤️📚 So what are you reading now?! 📖
Posted @withregram • @rainydayramen_cosmicpachin Posted @withregram • @rainydayramen_cosmicpachinko This quixotic tale set in Japan is artfully crafted, its final chapters in particular hurtling towards an end that has the potential to knock the wind out of readers' sails. As its two-part title hints, Rainy Day Ramen And The Cosmic Pachinko is about tension, primarily within the not very likeable protagonist..... https://www.straitstimes.com/life/arts/book-review-hallucinatory-oddball-travelogue-across-japan #bookstagram #bookreview #japan #tokyo #debutnovel #debutnovelist @definitelybooks
Posted @withregram • @rainydayramen_cosmicpachin Posted @withregram • @rainydayramen_cosmicpachinko Big thanks of @booksonasia for posting an excerpt of ‘Rainy Day Ramen and the Cosmic Pachinko’ on their awesome blog. If you like Japanese literature or novels set in Japan check out Books on Asia www.booksonasia.net Order or pick up a copy of Rainy Day Ramen now @bookskinokuniyatokyo @definitelybooks @monsoonbooks @kinokuniya_singapore @timesbookstoressg #rainydayramencosmicpachinko #ramen #bookrecommendations #bookstagram #amwriting #amreading #tokyo #tokyoolympics #canadianauthor #debutnovel #kobe #okinawa #shinjuku #chuhi #bukowski #whiskey
My first aunt, Tua-Ee, left hand on hip, right han My first aunt, Tua-Ee, left hand on hip, right hand holding a ladle of boiling salted vegetable and duck soup, would administer the test. Looking straight into our eyes, she would ask, “Is the soup done?” If we got it wrong, she scolded us, “Next time, what would your mother-in-law say, ah? Your mother n-e-v-e-r teach you. Where to put your face? So malu!” My cousin and I swore we would never ever get married and live with mothers-in-law who would administer the “Is the soup done?” test and put our mothers to shame. Just a teaser … coming soon … watch this space … “You Might Want To Marry My Husband” by Yap Swi Neo.
Posted @withregram • @whatdibsread <<Review>> T Posted @withregram • @whatdibsread <<Review>> This time, we travelled to Surabaya my folks! Snow Over Surabaya has its own unique style. This is a story of an unexpected schoolgirl whose life went on a rollercoaster from experiencing the struggle for Indonesian independence to witnessing the Battle of Surabaya till she became best known as ‘Surabaya Sue’. This book explains briefly about important events that have happened in Indonesia for the past decades. It is very informative for me because I have never heard about K’tut Tantri before and I am more than happy to learn something new about Indonesian’s history. Reading Snow Over Surabaya made me feel like I was there too. The war, the struggle, the battle in November 1945 all playing like a movie inside my head. It is a mix between fantasy, fiction and history. All blend in to make a worthy 224 pages to read. I can surely confirm that Nigel Barley did a great job at retelling the history in a form of fiction. It is very well researched to produce a book like this. Indonesia has always been my favourite because of its unique cultures and history. From this book I can conclude that independence is not easy to achieve. So many people have sacrificed so many things including their own life to make peace. Independence isn’t something you can ignore, it's worth more than that. It takes so much for a state or country to achieve their independence. And we, as a young generation should’ve learnt from it, to make sure we don’t waste the sacrifice they’ve made a long time ago. Would definitely recommend this book so that you can also met the Indian Gurkhas, Dutch spy, Islamist, communists, remnant Japanese forces and others. Very eye-opening indeed.  Thank you @monsoonbooks for sending me a copy of this enthralling read.
Posted @withregram • @ourbooklovingfamily Hello Posted @withregram • @ourbooklovingfamily Hello hello, we are almost at the end of June I’m sharing a wrap up of all the adult fiction books I’ve read over the last few of months from around Asia by #ownvoices authors. ⭐️ Spinning Top | Barbara Ismail | Monsoon Books | 2020 Malaysia 🇲🇾 A murder mystery in a small town in Malaysia, lovely depictions of local and Muslim culture. ⭐️ The Woman Warrior | Maxine Hong Kingston | Picador | 2015 China 🇨🇳 An autobiography blended with Chinese folktales. Touching on themes of identity, self worth and being a Chinese woman in the U.S. ⭐️ Memoirs of a Kamikaze | Kazuo Odachi | Tuttle |2004 Japan 🇯🇵 A memoir of a World War II pilot whose mission was to sacrifice his life by crashing into American ships. ⭐️ Anna K | Jenny Lee | Penguin | 2020 United States 🇺🇸 South Korea 🇰🇷 The frivolous lifestyle of the rich is not my type of book but with a cover this beautiful I had to pick it up and ended up devouring in 2 days. A Korean American teen gets tangled in love with a playboy, based on a retelling of Anna Karenina set in modern day New York. ⬅️ to see the pic of the cover. ⭐️ If I Had Your Face | Frances Cha | Viking Penguin Books | 2020 South Korea 🇰🇷 A riveting look at the world of plastic surgery and four women living in Seoul navigating social expectations on gender, beauty and class. ⭐️ The Fisherman King | Kathrina Mohd Daud | Epigram | 2020 Brunei 🇧🇳 There are so little fictional books on Brunei which makes this #ownvoices book a rare treat. A story about a fisherman who is trying to prove his royal lineage. ⭐️ How We Disappeared | Jing-Jing Lee | Oneworld Book | 2019 - Singapore 🇸🇬 A heart breaking story of survival of a young girl forced to serve as a comfort woman during the Japanese occupation in Singapore. ⭐️ Fragile Monster | Catherine Menon | Viking Penguin Books | 2021 - Malaysia 🇲🇾 An intergenerational story about family secrets, complicated relationships and the hardship of wars. My least favourite of the books because of the style of writing, but as a Malaysian, I appreciate this book.
96 or 97, nobody is very sure, least of all Colone 96 or 97, nobody is very sure, least of all Colonel JP Cross, but what we do know is that JP Cross still walks several miles a day and writes daily. In final production for Monsoon is “Operation Red Tidings” (紅色消息行動), JP Cross’ latest work of military fiction set during the Malayan Emergency, one of the many theatres of war that he was involved in. Happy Birthday to a Gurkha legend and author of over 20 books.
Posted @withregram • @anareads717 📚📚📚RE Posted @withregram • @anareads717 📚📚📚REVIEW📚📚📚 At last! I got to know the real villain, and the reason behind all the murders. The story portrayed what a human being could do when his or her is desperate. Even if one has to defy the whole world to satisfy the needs. I love all the books in Kain Songket Mysteries Series. Particularly as it described how Kelantanese were in 1970s. However, i think, the word ‘alamak’ is not appropriate for certain part of the book. I really appreciate the use of Malay idioms throughout the story. Some of them i never knew before. Keep up the good work and thumbs up to the author! Thank you @monsoonbooks @definitelybooks for this lovely opportunity!❤️ #anareads #donereading #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammalaysia #spinningtop #monsoonbooks #pansing #bookreviewer #barbaraismail #definitelybooks #anareadsreviews #bibliophile
Posted @withregram • @anareads717 📚📚📚RE Posted @withregram • @anareads717 📚📚📚REVIEW📚📚📚 Out of the four books in the series, this one made me the most frustrated! The big question: Who is the killer? And why oh why did Nik Man did it? This book made me reflect on how to raise kids, especially the youngest one. It is okay to love, to worry and to assist them when they were young. But, until when? Do you still need to do, take care and think about every single thing that involved them? Let them make their own decision. And learn from their mistakes. Bahiyah reminded me of a narcissistic sister if not a mother. Totally not my favourite character. Need to calm myself down first before reading the next book: Spinning Top. Really want to know who is the mysterious killer and what really happened. Thank you @monsoonbooks @definitelybooks for giving me the opportunity to read this book. #anareads #donereading #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammalaysia #moonkite #monsoonbooks #bookreviewer #barbaraismail #anareadsreviews #bibliophile #pansing #monsoonbooks #kelantan #kotabharu
While threading the alleys sipping my poor man’s While threading the alleys sipping my poor man’s cocktail, I passed a small, inviting park with a couple of benches, two or three trees, and a grassy patch. There were five or six old men in the park either seated on spread-out newspapers or leaning against tree trunks. They drank from jars of sake or tall cans of beer and unanimously smoked. Other than the age difference, it looked like 77, my kind of crowd. I took a seat on an empty bench and pulled out the paperback I carried around to occupy me during those hours of solitude in which I was still able to digest words. I opened to the dog-eared page. The man seated on the bench next to me did a double-take at the cover. I began reading and sipped at the straw. ‘Are you in the process of taking off your mask or putting one on?’ asked my bench neighbour in near-perfect English. ——— Rainy Day Ramen and the Cosmic Pachinko by Gordon Vanstone. Paperback and ebook available worldwide including from @bookskinokuniyatokyo @kinokuniya_singapore @kino.kl @webcenter_thai #mishima #tokyo #okinawa #japaneseliterature #japaneselit #travelwriter #travelwriting #monsoonbooks @definitelybooks @rainydayramen_cosmicpachinko
Posted @withregram • @kinokuniya_singapore How f Posted @withregram • @kinokuniya_singapore How far would you take your affection for a country? These writers turned to their pens and imagination. 🎌 “A native of Hong Kong, Barrie Sherwood grew up in rural British Columbia before moving on to Quebec, England, France and Japan. Since 2013, he has been Assistant Professor in the School of Humanities at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He lives with his wife and daughters within walking distance of Chomp Chomp.” “Gordon Vanstone hails from Victoria B. C., Canada. After graduating from University, he moved overseas and taught throughout Asia, including many years in Tokyo and a few months in Okinawa. Long an avid reader, one day, mid-sentence, whilst absorbing words on a park beach or in coffee shop somewhere, the thought struck: I could do this...I should do this...I need to do this, or I may never feel whole. And he began writing. ‘Rainy Day Ramen and the Cosmic Pachinko’ is his first novel.” “#LauraImaiMessina has been living in Japan for the last fifteen years and works between Tokyo and Kamakura, where she lives with her Japanese husband and two children.” ‘The Phone Box at the Edge of the World’ was originally written “in Italian and published as ‘Quel che affidiamo al vento’.” “Between 1999 and 2002 English author #DavidPeace showed the world just how good he is at writing period crime fiction with his Red Riding Quartet, set between 1974 and 1983 in Yorkshire. Perhaps less well known is his Tokyo Trilogy, which includes ‘Tokyo Year Zero’ and ‘Occupied City’.” ‘Tokyo Redux’ is the final novel in the set. #kinorecommends #japaneseliterature #japaneselit #loveforjapan #allthingsjapanese #onjapan #fictionbooks #fictionwriter #fictionwriters #fictionbook #fictionwriting #japanesefiction #japanesestories #japanstory #japanstories #japanesestory #ramenlover #ramenlovers #japanlover #japanlovers #japanlove #fictionreads #allthingsjapanese #tokyotales #allaboutjapan #fromoutsidein #tokyojapan @definitelybooks @rainydayramen_cosmicpachinko #monsoonbooks
Posted @withregram • @thommywaite Episode 96 – Posted @withregram • @thommywaite Episode 96 – Rainy Day Ramen and the Cosmic Pachinko w/ Gordon Vanstone (Interview) THOMMY WAITE'S SQUARE RECORD @rainydayramen_cosmicpachinko is a whimsical yet enthralling novel about an outsider expat in Japan. The story is a balance of irreverent wanderings around an alien landscape and existential introspection. @gordonvanstone is a Canadian writer who is based in Singapore. Rainy Day Ramen and the Cosmic Pachinko is his first book. This one was lit, fam. Me and Gordo got liquored up and yarned about what took him to Japan for 8 years, expat camaraderie and competition, Japan's polite xenophobia, the similarities between our novels, how traveling changed his perspective on Canada, and his literary influences. To watch or listen to this episode, search for ‘Thommy Waite’s Square Record’ on YouTube/your podcast app, or click the link in the @thommywaite bio. @monsoonbooks @definitelybooks
Posted @withregram • @nurilbasri I'm delighted t Posted @withregram • @nurilbasri I'm delighted to share that Not a Virgin was included as a key reading on the Postcolonial Studies module for postgraduate students at SOAS University of London. Big thanks to Dr Ben Murtagh. I'm also here to announce that the sequel is done and has found a publisher in its home country. I wish it to see the light soon and has the chance to be translated again.
“In 1826, an English merchant, Alexander Hare, b “In 1826, an English merchant, Alexander Hare, brought a group of people from Malaysia and Indonesia as well as South Africa and New Guinea to an island atoll northwest of mainland Australia in the Indian Ocean,” reports The Conversation (2017). “Hare took them to the Cocos (Keeling) Islands as slaves. The Cocos Malays developed a unique culture and Malay dialect. They adopted 19th-century Scottish dancing and music. Still living on their island home, the Cocos Malays are now Australian citizens.” The eccentric Mr Hare – as he was known to Sophia, the first wife of Singapore founder Thomas Stamford Raffles – and his Asian harem are brought vividly to life in “The Man Who Collected Women” by Nigel Barley, a work of historical fiction set in Southeast Asia. Available from leading bookstores worldwide, including in Malaysia and Singapore. #cocoskeelingislands #malaysia #malaysianhistory #indonesia #indonesianhistory #historicalfiction #slavery
Alexander Hare was a trader and slave-owner in the Alexander Hare was a trader and slave-owner in the East and a friend of Thomas Stamford Raffles, Lieutenant Governor of Java and the founder of Singapore, but Hare’s chief claim to fame is as the creator of an Asian harem, including in his collection women from Java, Bali, Sumatra, Sulawesi, Borneo, the Malay Peninsula, China, India and Africa. Hare’s love of women and his assembling of a harem, initially in Borneo and then on an uninhabited atoll that would become the Cocos-Keeling Islands, made him an object of guilty male fantasies and of strident female resentments, the epitome of masculine, colonial exploitation. ‘Writing today about such a historical figure as Alexander Hare can be a fraught undertaking. Nigel Barley [anthropologist, former curator of The British Museum and author of 15 books] is clearly aware of this, and diffuses much of the potential tension with a certain satirical playfulness. Alexander Hare is eventually undone by the agency of Anna and Maria, recent South African additions to his harem … The Man Who Collected Women is a clever and highly entertaining novel ... which handles a problematic real-life historical figure deftly.’ Tim Hannigan, Asian Review of Books Photo credit: ‘Balinese Woman, 1920’ Leiden University Digital Collection #monsoonbooks #indonesia #cocoskeelingislands #slavery #britishhistory #colonialism #historicalfiction #java #kalimantan #sumatra
Load More…
INFO

About Us
Award Winners
Bookshop
Download Catalogue
Jobs
Rights & Permissions
Submissions
Trade Distributors
TV/Film Adaptations

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Cookie Policy
Delivery & Returns
FAQ
Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions

SUBMISSIONS

Monsoon accepts unsolicited submissions from agented as well as unagented authors. Visit our Submissions page for more information. We look forward to reading your work! *Agents, please contact Monsoon direct with relevant submissions or schedule a meeting at Frankfurt or London.

CONTACT

Monsoon Books Ltd
No.1 The Lodge
Burrough Court
Burrough on the Hill
Melton Mowbray LE14 2QS, UK
Email
No landline

Copyright 2021 © Monsoon Books Ltd
  • Shop
  • Browse
    • Country
      • Brunei
      • Burma
      • Cambodia
      • China
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Japan
      • Malaysia
      • Philippines
      • Singapore
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • Genre
      • Fiction
      • Nonfiction
  • Book Bundles
  • FAQ
  • Social
    • Instagram
    • Video Archive
  • Submissions
  • Login
  • Newsletter

Login

Lost your password?

Register

A password will be sent to your email address.

Your personal data will be used to support your experience throughout this website, to manage access to your account, and for other purposes described in our privacy policy.